The University of Maryland recently decided that prayer is not allowed during commencement addresses, but pornographic films are allowed on campus. University officials cited “academic free speech” as the reason to allow the film. Occurring nearly simultaneously, both incidents have garnered extensive media coverage. The question is, will the media question the University’s inconsistency in applying First Amendment principles?
In an arbitrary sweep of political power, the University of Maryland Senate voted to eradicate the practice of prayer at graduation ceremonies. According to the university paper The Diamondback, “The senate approved a proposal that eliminates a prayer invocation at the university's annual commencement ceremony in a 32-14 vote after a lengthy debate that touched on the controversial issue of the separation of church and state.”
The university has a tradition of allowing an “all-inclusive” invocation to be given at the beginning of each commencement address by any one of the fourteen university chaplains.
This decision came just days after another controversy erupted on campus involving a hardcore pornographic film. After learning of the decision to allow students to show sexually explicit excerpts of the film on campus, Maryland state legislators threatened to withdraw funding from the university unless the decision was reversed. The University did ban the screening but did not interfere with the students’ “academic freedom” when an independent student group took matters into its own hands by securing a lecture hall to show the triple-X film.
One half hour of the film, “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge” was screened on campus on April 6 along with a panel discussion about safe sex, featuring a representative from Planned Parenthood. (On a side note, as reported by MRC’s Ken Shepherd, The Diamondback had no qualms linking to video of the screening, but it was more circumspect about showing political signs recently.)
The Washington Post obtained a statement from State Senator Andrew P. Harris, one of the more vocal opponents of the film and one who threatened to block funding. “I know some students would like to portray this as a free speech issue,” Harris said. “It is not. This is about the use of taxpayer dollars, and the Maryland General Assembly acts every day on issues concerning the use of taxpayer dollars.”
Taxpayer dollars or “academic” free speech … it doesn’t really matter. In College Park, porn is protected speech. Prayer is not.
Photo via www.acc-tv.com
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The students don't have a prayer...
April 7, 2009 - 15:54 ET by Pilgrim1949...except what they can mutter under their breath, but boy, do the denizens of the ivy-covered-cloisters love free speech....when it's their speech that they're so freely celebrating!
yup yup yup....
Instead of having his head in his shell, the mascot should have his head up his.... .........tailpipe!
Should make UMd alumni and all those boomer parents shelling out mucho dinero to fund their little darlings' edyoomikashuns just proud, proud I tell ya, for the academic freedom that's being promoted.
Really helps clearly display the issues and the battle lines.
Now, if they would only be truly inclusive and invite the campus Muslim population to participate....then we could sit back, pass out the popcorn and watch the festivities!
When will Christians react?
April 7, 2009 - 16:00 ET by szampChristians need to start reacting to these things. Things would be very different if we were the ones rioting and issuing fatwas.
Whats wrong...???
April 7, 2009 - 16:02 ET by De_Oppresso_LiberWhats wrong with porn? If you dont want to watch, dont watch...
de_Oppresso ~ you're kidding right? You do know that the issue
April 7, 2009 - 16:06 ET by pahuberis a stark contrast between two types of speeches. So you love porn and wonder what is wrong with it instead of realizing the greater issue. I know you must realize that you seem to be indicating that you are ok with the censorship of others speech (e.g., prayer).
You are a great example of how warped our society is today.
I have no problem with a
April 7, 2009 - 20:58 ET by ThatDudeI have no problem with a student group using their own private funding for something like this on their own time. What I take issue with is the use of public funds for porn viewings. Sure, they have every right to watch porn with as large of a group as they desire. It should NOT be something sponsored by the campus or shown on campus.
As for the students pushing for the showing...have a little class. Why degrade the institution and the students in such a way? Oh well, I suppose with their allowing this on campus that the students can now organize an orgy on the quad. Once you pervert freedom by disregarding responsibility, the line only furthers towards insanity.
I agree with you. However, if they withhold public funds for
April 8, 2009 - 12:34 ET by pahuberthe porn they may be allowed to withhold funds from Christian groups, as well. However, they are already doing that in the name of so called "separation of church & state" However, the good news is that this "separation" (that has been used for all sorts of ridiculous exclusions of Christians) is being taken to the cleaners via the courts. Schools are having to change, but only reluctantly. Obama will make it a bit harder for us with his placements on circuit courts... and God help those who live under the jurisdiction of the 9th circuit court.
Whats wrong...???
April 7, 2009 - 16:02 ET by De_Oppresso_LiberWhats wrong with porn? If you dont want to watch, dont watch...
That option misses the importance of the thread ..
April 7, 2009 - 16:27 ET by legacyrepublicanthe thread here is asking ...
Why is it that our college youth can talk about sex and view it graphically yet cannot talk to their creator on campus?
Why is it that a student can freely stimulate and meditate on their sexual desires openly on campus but cannot daily reflect on and meditate on what their creator would have them focus their attention on while attending a school of higher learning?
Whats wrong with porn?
April 7, 2009 - 20:18 ET by DeliaPerhaps the drug addled people 'performing' for your pleasure who were victims of incest and rape and other horrors.
'Porn' does not represent 'normal' sexual relations...
ya whts wrong with porn ???
September 25, 2009 - 02:06 ET by jonny8775Hey man whts wrong with porn. Ithink its very good to have. It's a nature and any one can't change it or blame for it. I really like porn movies and videos.I always like to Porn Downloads because I like to watch them very much.:)
Good morning jonny
September 25, 2009 - 02:26 ET by cocodrieTear yourself away from your pornograph and attend some english classes. Skip pre-k, go directly into first grade and concentrate on sentence structure and spelling. Don't look up the teacher's dress, that isn't nice.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
dol ~ I notice you do not hang around and defend your posts.
April 8, 2009 - 16:46 ET by pahuberDo you come here just to irritate or can you not answer any of us who took the time to actually articulate a thought? You see, this smacks of alot of things... trollish, smarmy, ja, etc.
If you don't like what you read here then don't read it... tap tap tap...got it?
tweak and neener neener.
typical liberal
I commented on this...
April 7, 2009 - 16:09 ET by taocpairony in Ken's thread. As a MD graduate myself, I used to contribute to MD, now I know why I don't. I couldn't stand the hypocrisy of the "free speech" on campus while conservatives were ridiculed. Then when stuff like this started to happen, I gave up.
I also noticed in The Diamondback, the student newspaper had a headline that had a headline that said "University Police find hateful fliers didn't break the law". Now the university police said they were free speech and found them not to be hateful after they investigated, so why did the student run paper feel the need to editorialize? I suppose the young journalism majors are in training for their new careers as "mainstream media" journalists.
When will the madness end? Hopefully, January 20, 2013.
Tom
Yep, we grow America haters right here in our own country via
April 7, 2009 - 16:11 ET by pahuberthe universities.
Scantily Clad
April 7, 2009 - 16:30 ET by Nearly NobodyI love looking at scantily clad women as much as the next guy. But I reserve the right to pray for forgiveness
"Nearly Nobody's News"
Government Peddles Smut
April 7, 2009 - 17:07 ET by deerjerkydaveHey the government already makes money on the sale of tobacco, the sale of alcohol, lotteries and gambling institutions. It only makes sense for them to next make money selling smut. Are they charging admission yet to see this porno film?
Government is becoming the biggest peddler of societal decay. And then they wonder why some people snap and become rapists, pedophiles, or worse.
If I were a parent paying my child's tuition...
April 7, 2009 - 20:20 ET by dborschjr68We don't need no handmaidens of the Lord, we need whores!
Nice, Univ of Maryland, nice.
Out with God, in with sin. (Couldn't help myself..it rhymed!)
The Antichrist has a
April 7, 2009 - 23:33 ET by Old EuropeThe Antichrist has a stronghold on campuses. This is the sad truth. People are serving him now instead of Jesus. And to think that Yale was founded as a missionary school. But Satan somehow managed to take over campuses all across the USA for the sake of separation of church and state even though the constitution never stipulated that. But of course all these liberals on campus are deadly afraid of Jesus. They know the reckoning is gonna come eventually.
Here's a Christian group whose goal it is to pray for the Holy Ghost and Jesus to reconquer campuses:
http://www.theburnpr...
Well, At Least It's Original...
April 7, 2009 - 23:55 ET by The7SticksI didn't even know that there was such a thing as pirate porn. I thought the pirate picture went out with that last Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but I suppose fads do tend to stay for a while.
If I had to make a pragmatic view, I would say that it would be wrong if this pirate porno flick was funded by taxpayer money from the school. I wouldn't have a problem if the porno was funded by private funds from the students themselves (without the assistance of government-funded student loans or grants) or a private donor.
As for public prayer, I wouldn't understand why a religious person would go to a public school anyway for that reason. Private schools are far more effective in protecting the rights of religious believers than public schools, so maybe these students should have the right to school vouchers so they can choose any private school. You see, this is where I differ from most liberals: when it comes to freedom of choice. I think students should be allowed to pray or watch porn. Just as long as the government stays out of it at all levels and circumstances, including public funding.
7 Sticks.... You have
April 8, 2009 - 00:07 ET by bigtimer7 Sticks....
You have changed a lot since you have been here....I have enjoyed reading your posts lately.
I could have sworn you have been here longer than what the bio says for you...maybe time is just flying by for me...nevertheless...you have really grown.
I mean no offense at all...you know me well enough to know that too.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Alumni and parents need to
April 8, 2009 - 02:01 ET by RR GOPAlumni and parents need to vote with their $.
About all that can be done.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
What's wrong with porn?
April 8, 2009 - 06:51 ET by PharmerPorn is made using sex slaves: kidapped kids, abused kids, drug addicted people, and sometimes those people who think they would starve otherwise.
A person who patronizes porn has two problems: impaired sexual function, and the moral problem of supporting the abuse of other human beings.
Fulfilled Prediction
April 9, 2009 - 18:26 ET by rapkiller(Universities are fulfilling what Jesus predicted including the fact that Christians will be hated more than any other group! And He didn't say we'd be raptured away before this happens! Saw the following lately on the web. Rapkiller)
FOR PRETRIB RAPTURE REPEATERS
Congratulations! You are now fulfilling the Bible which says "Come now, and let us repeat together."
Be sure to repeat what Walvoord, Lindsey, LaHaye, Ice etc. repeat what
their own teachers repeat what their own teachers repeat etc. etc. etc.!
Repeat that Christ's return is imminent because we're told to "watch"
(Matt. 24, 25) for it. So is the "day of God" (II Pet. 3:12) - which
you admit is at least 1000 years ahead - also imminent because we're
told to be "looking for" it?
Also repeat the pretrib myths
about the "Jewish wedding stages" and "Jewish feasts" (where's your
"church/Israel dichotomy" now?) even though Christ and Paul knew
nothing about a "pretrib stage" and neither did any official
theological creed or organized church before 1830!
You should
read "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty" on the "Powered by Christ Ministries"
site to find out why you shouldn't repeat everything your pretrib
teachers repeat.
Do I have to repeat this?